In 2013, Daniel Graham and his twin brother, Jake, stepped out of their front door in Bristol, England, and onto the path. Yearning for an experience they would never forget, and with the added incentive of raising money for WaterAid, the brothers traipsed for five months - washing in rivers and sleeping beneath the trees - until eventually, after passing through 3,000 kilometres of Western Europe, they reached the the Mediterranean Sea.

A Walk to the Water

Saturday, 6 April 2013

The Grass is Growing

After a distinct infliction of hesitation, it feels like the
English spring has finally arrived. The wood pigeons are waddling in the quick
growing grass and the sun on my nape renders me pleasantly lethargic. It is one
week until Jake and I head off, and it
would be nothing shy of lovely if we were to be dealt a day as beautiful as
this one on which to part from Bristol. That said, even the most optimistic
footers would predict at least a few rain days between Bristol and Dover; we
are going to get wet sometime, so why not make it the first day?

Preparations are going neither smoothly, nor roughly. We seem
to have acquired all the necessary items, with the exception of a few small
bits and bobs. My personal trepidation lies with what ‘camp trousers’ I should
take. To be sure, I am not referring to trousers, which when slipped on enhance
my already slightly camp persona, but trousers to be worn when on and around a campsite My favourite brown corduroys may prove to be too weighty, and my
joggers too casual for any spontaneous public house visits. My baggy canvas trousers
would be good in warmer climes, but would leave my ‘vulnerables’ exposed in
colder, breezier conditions. This is certainly a woe that can be remedied, so I
shall not dwell on it too long I am sure. A woe, however, that most would find
near impossible to remedy is that of a worried mother. Of course, this is only
natural, and it is true that we could be devoured by ticks or charged by
mountain goats, so I am happy to adopt my mother’s wisdom of such potential
incidents. However, when being warned that the sunlight reflecting off of our
Casio watches may turn our tent into a pile of ashes, I do begin to wonder
whether wisdom is really the correct word.